In a well-known interconnection technique, a cable is extended from telephone signaling and switching equipment to telephone station equipment such as telephone units by a pair of mating connectors. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,113,179, 4,113,337 and 4,214,803 for a description of such connectors. These kinds of connectors are often referred to as ribbon-type connectors. Each of the connectors includes a plurality of contact elements with one end of each being connected to a conductor and the other end being engageable by a contact element of a mateable connector. A hood is assembled to a connector body to enclose the connections. In this manner, a number of circuits can be extended from a connector which is connected through a mateable connector to the telephone signaling and switching equipment.
Modularization of telephone interconnection systems has become increasingly popular in order to reduce hardware requirements and the service expense inherent in performing individual conductor terminations. This trend towards modularity is discussed by Albin R. Meier, in his article "The modular telephone--a money-saving idea whose time has come", Telephone, Nov. 25, 1974, pp. 27-33.
Modularity includes the use of modular plugs and jacks such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,498 which issued on Oct. 17, 1972 in the names of E. C. Hardesty et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,764 which issued on Nov. 9, 1976 in the name of C. L. Krumreich. Modular jacks are presently being incorporated into individual telephone units, and modular plugs are used for terminating both ends of telephone cords. The interconnection between the cord and the telephone unit is then effected by the mating of a modular plug and jack. In addition, a variety of junction boxes, adapters and other devices have been developed which incorporate modular jacks for receiving such plugs.
In telephone interconnection systems, individual telephones are required to have one or more specific features according to customer requirements, such as preselected telephone numbers, multiple-lines, or a hold button, for example. The individual telephones must be connected to the system so as to accommodate these requirements. Also, these customer requirements may change after a period of time, necessitating a service call to rearrange the connections. Both installation and subsequent rearrangements have required a tedious connection and reconnection of conductors to contact elements according to the original or modified requirements.
In a recently introduced system for providing for such service requirements, only selected ones of the circuits from the switching equipment are extended from the mateable connector to the connector associated with a telephone station. This is accomplished by simply providing the latter connector with less than a full complement of contact elements at selected positions. A connector for effecting such selective service includes a ribbon-type connector having a modular jack assembled thereto and is commonly referred to as an adapter. Plural conductors electrically interconnect electrical contact elements of the modular jack with preselected ones of the contact elements in the ribbon-type connector which supports the jack, thereby electrically connecting the telephone unit with the desired signal outputs of the telephone switching equipment system. Service to the telephone unit is charged by rearranging the connection of the conductors from the jack to contact elements of the ribbon-type connector of the adapter.
One problem which arises when connections are to be rearranged relates to the removal of the hood which encloses the contacts of each mateable connector. The hood, which in these kinds of adapters is made of plastic, is also used to support a modular jack at one end of the connector. The hood also includes sidewalls having portions which cooperate with portions of the connector body to secure the hood to the body. In order to disassemble this kind of connector to rearrange the connections, the depending portions of sidewalls of the hood must be spread apart in a careful manner to avoid damaging the plastic hood.
Not only is the capability of hood removal important in the field to facilitate connection rearrangements, but also in the factory for repair purposes. Unfortunately, the ribbon-type connector modular jack adapter is more easily tested electrically when the hood is in position on the body. In those cases of defective connectors, the hoods must be removed without damage.
From all appearances, the prior art does not offer an adequate solution to this problem. Hood removal tools for ribbon-type connectors are available, such as for example a plier arrangement in which the gripping of the handles causes opposite ends to be moved apart against the depending portions of the hood. But in use of the just-described tool, an installer must use one hand to hold the connector and another hand to operate the tool. Then the hand used to hold the connector must somehow be manipulated to remove the hood while the other hand holds the tool in its operated position.
While hand tools are available for removing hoods from ribbon-type connectors, the marketplace does not appear to offer one for use with the above-described adapter. Clearly, there appears to be a need for a hand tool which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is easily used in the field as well as in the factory to remove a plastic hood from a ribbon-type connector adapter.